Taraba taskforce repatriates illegal miners to Sokoto, Bauchi, Niger, Gombe, Zamfara

The Taraba state Anti-Illegal Mining Taskforce, Thursday, said it repatriated scores of illegal miners from Taraba to Sokoto,  Gombe,  Bauchi Niger and Zamfara states.

The chairman of the Anti-Illegal Mining Task Force, SP Jamu Emmanuel, while speaking to journalists via telephone conversation in Jalingo, stated that: “This decisive action was taken to avert any potential security breaches and safeguard the peace and stability of Taraba state.”

He added that the taskforce remains unwavering in its mandate to rid the state of all forms of illegal mining activities which have been linked to rising insecurity, environmental degradation, and economic sabotage.

According to him, “Allowing these illegal miners to continue with their activities within the state would bring back insecurity that will at the end be risky to the whole state.

“The government will not sit and fold its hands and allow outsiders troop in to disrupt public peace in the state.”

He added that, in recent operations, the taskforce arrested over 50 suspects, dispersed more than 500 illegal miners in the Gantu area of Bali local government area, and specifically returned 24 individuals to Zamfara, Niger, Yobe, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He hinted that the team will continue to crackdown on unauthorised mining activities and not negotiate with them.

He warned that any individual or group found engaging in illegal mining would face the full wrath of the law.